Chapter 128. The Other Side of the Mountain
Charles trusted Tobba for the time being. The man acted like a madman, but judging from his assistance earlier, he probably wasn't hostile toward them. If he were on the enemy's side, he would have just stood aside and let the pirates capture them.
Walking along the rocky passageway, Charles cast his eyes toward the far-off docks. The pirates appeared no larger than tiny ants, while the warships resembled diminutive toy boats.
The passageways in the hillside town were rather narrow, and occasionally, a pirate would brush past them. However, the pirates showed no intention of attacking.
They merely stole a glance at Tobba and then carried on with their business.
It was as if the cross Tobba had plastered on his forehead was truly working.
"Mr. Charles, have we really turned invisible? Why are they not attacking us?" Lily asked as she stood perched on Charles' shoulder. Out of curiosity, she even reached out a tiny paw and scratched the clothes of the pirate next to her.
"No."
Charles was certain that they were not invisible. However, he was pondering over the same issue. How did the old madman in front of them manage to get the pirates to totally ignore their presence?
Trailing behind Tobba, they navigated the passageways and alleys in the town for a good half an hour before they arrived in front of a low cave entrance.
"You'll see what you are looking for once we pass through this cave," Tobba happily said. He bent over and entered the cave.
"Are you telling me that the fuel you speak of is buried in this mountain?" Charles asked Tobba.
If the fuel was really buried deep in the mountains, it would have been much easier if he had taken a group of men and stormed the black building earlier.
At least, there would be a glimpse of hope if they had robbed the place.
However, if he had to transport fuel from inside the mountain back to the ship, they would have been surrounded by the pirates before they could even make it halfway back.
"Nope, it's on the other side of the mountain. The fuel comes from there," Tobba's voice echoed from within the cave.
The cave was low and stifling. An average-sized adult would have to walk in a half-crouch, and the journey felt extremely suffocating.
After walking for ten minutes in such an environment, Charles was holding up well due to his enhanced physical endurance. Even the mice found it rather endurable due to their small stature. However, Feuerbach was struggling.
As the panting behind him grew increasingly labored, Charles asked, "Are you alright?"
Feuerbach wiped the sweat off of his forehead with his sleeve. "I'm fine, it's just a little suffocating. I think the vast sea is more of my element."
Fortunately, their discomfort didn't last for too long. Another five minutes later, they emerged from the other side of the mountain.
The landscape before them suddenly opened up. Standing halfway up the mountain, Charles peered downward. Buildings of various sizes nestled in a scattered formation in the valley.
However, it wasn't those structures that caught Charles' attention. His gaze was drawn to the distant shoreline, where the attention-seeking remnants of a gigantic circular facility stood.
The colossal industrial complex was almost as large as the surrounding mountains. Although time had weathered it into a state of considerable decay, Charles still found the building rather impressive.
"Woahhh! The pirates probably aren't capable of building such a huge thing. It should be the work of the Foundation, no? Those guys seem to be everywhere." Richard suddenly appeared again.
"There. That's where the fuel comes from," Tobba said and pointed to a cluster of buildings below the circular facility.
Tobba was pointing at a black shed occupying the area of four football fields. Despite having an eagle-eye view, Charles couldn't discern what was within it. He could only see the several tall towers that were erected around it, and their searchlights illuminated the entire area. Security seemed extremely tight.
From his elevated vantage point, Charles also noticed some finer details. Right behind the factory, there were several tracks arranged in a disorderly manner.
They weren't railway tracks but tracks meant for mine carts. Loaded carts regularly appeared on the tracks and moved toward another mountain on the island. Due to the distance, Charles couldn't make out what was on those carts. He could only see that they resembled black stones.
"Let's go down," Tobba said cheerfully as he started to descend the steep rocky path.
"Is the fuel here coal, or is it the residue of whale oil refinement?"
Charles didn't even bother asking if the fuel was in the form of charcoal. In a world where grass struggled to thrive, there was no way there would be charcoal, which was made from lumber.
"Coal? Whale oil? What is that? I have no idea. We call them black balls. We have been burning them for as long as we have been here." Tobba scratched his head with an index finger.
Charles pondered over Tobba's answer. That sounds like coal. It seems like this island has rich coal resources.
After descending from the mountain, they carefully approached the giant facility. After quietly walking along the edges of the circular structure for a few minutes, they were now very close to the black shed. Charles could even see the white mist exhaled by the pirates patrolling on the high platforms.
Tobba was about to stride openly toward the building complex's black steel gates when Charles pulled him back.
"What are you doing?" Charles questioned in a hushed whisper.
"It's fine, I can turn invisible. No worries! They can't see us." Tobba confidently patted his chest and retrieved the crumpled cross from his pocket once again.
Charles couldn't afford to let him continue with his bizarre antics at this point.
Perhaps Tobba did possess some special powers, and it wouldn't matter if they were up against normal pirates. However, they were definitely at an important location on the island, and surely, there would be more powerful and skilled pirates guarding the complex.
Just the slightest mistake from Tobba could ruin Charles' entire mission. Compared to letting this lunatic rush in, he had a better option.
"Lily, get your friend to scout the way," Charles said to the white mouse on his shoulder.
The small rodent was clearly the best candidate for infiltration and reconnaissance tasks. This was also why Charles had brought Lily with him.
Squeak~ Squeak squeak!!
A dark brown mouse hopped up and down for a brief moment, and soon, four mice scurried along the dark corners toward the building complex.
"Mr. Charles, rest assured. I've taught them many things previously. Jumpy will definitely do a clear report this time!" Lily assured.
Charles nodded with a grave expression on his face. As long as they could confirm that the building was a fuel factory, their reconnaissance mission on this island would be considered completed.
As time ticked away, Charles grew increasingly anxious. Every now and then, Charles would take out his pocket watch to check the time. He had never felt that time was passing this slowly.
"Bro, why don't we sneak in and take a look?" Richard controlled an eye to look at the giant circular structure next to them.
"Stop finding trouble. Haven't you caused enough chaos?" Charles gumbled through gritted teeth.
"How is that considered trouble? Look at this building. It's so broken that it doesn't even have a roof. How dangerous can it be? And look, there are spider webs everywhere."
Charles remained unpersuaded. He stood rooted to the spot and frequently checked his pocket watch.
"How boring. This facility belongs to the Foundation. What's the harm in taking a look? They are from the surface world. What if there's key information on how the entrance back up?"
"Cut the bullshit. I don't want to argue with you now."
"Why don't we find a middle ground? We let Lily's mice go in and have a look. That should be fine, no?"
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